


please don't let me down (you better come around)

by cocaína (ethrealeis)



Series: my chemical sootcest romance [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: "i'm cold", Angst with a Happy Ending, Burns, Cats, Dissociation, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gentle Kissing, I feel his pain, Kinda?, M/M, Panic Attacks, Pet Names, References to Depression, Self-Hatred, Sootcest, argbur has tics, i love the arg and therefore argbur, it is now my personal headcanon that argbur is soft for cats, no beta we die like my sanity, technically selfcest but we don't talk about that, tics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-23 16:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30058293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ethrealeis/pseuds/coca%C3%ADna
Summary: simpbur works his way into his lap again, pressing an ever-so-soft kiss on his lips; chaste and calming. he smiles softly and reaches for the bottom of argbur's hair, deftly pulling on it, remembering to bring it downward in his hands in a way argbur likes; yet it never gets brutal.it's all just light touches that send argbur into the stars, and soft words that make the ice casing of his heart chip away a little more.[ title from oliver tree's let me down ]
Relationships: Wilbur Soot/Wilbur Soot, argbur/simpbur, yeah it's mad lol
Series: my chemical sootcest romance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211948
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	please don't let me down (you better come around)

**Author's Note:**

> argbur is taller than simpbur alri anyway continue

* * *

the pair are sitting on the couch, simpbur lying between his partner's legs, leaning closer into the feeling of argbur's arms around his chest. it's quiet; neither one of them talks, they just let each other bask in the warmth. it's only around the time that simpbur tries to get up that the other realises how cold it is.

he grabs his hand before he can leave, giving him some fucked-up form of puppy eyes that wouldn't make anyone sane simper, but then again, simpbur doesn't think that he's perfectly normal anyway. so he moves back to his boyfriend, and arg swears he feels warmer at the slightest touch simp gives him. 

"what's wrong, sweets?" simpbur asks him, and for a moment they lock eyes. argbur's are dark, pale and cold. his face heats up as he looks into simpbur's; they're golden, toffee brown, a welcome contrast to his black clothes and jewellery. 

argbur doesn't realise he's been staring until simpbur waves a soft hand into his face. "hello, earth to arg?" he giggles, and argbur can _feel_ his heart melt a little more. he pulls him back in.

"you're warm," he mumbles, head jerking into simpbur's chest in a sudden tic. simpbur laughs and pats his head gently. 

"you've got your big fur jacket on the coatrack, should i get it for you?" he smiles sweetly. argbur doesn't want him to leave, but he lets his grip go slack and his boyfriend trots off out of view.

almost as soon as he leaves, he can feel his lips and the tips of his fingers freeze; while the room itself is a usual lukewarm, it feels as if all the cold surrounds him, like some pathetic attempt at a blanket. 

it's not a blanket, it's a lure; pulling him in and making time stop, still and so, so cold.

he barely notices simpbur move back in, and yet he hears his own panicked breathing, his limbs shaking and yet he still can't move. 

he's paralyzed, like he's watching himself in third person, trying to speak but now this throat is frozen too, larynx speckled with shards of ice and frost. he can feel the cold cutting into his skin and breaking, and he feels the drops of blood trickle down his arm from his palm. 

all he can hope for is for the ice to melt, and it does, ever so slowly; it's painfully careful, the way simpbur's hands grasp onto his own, rubbing up and down his arms and chest, and then the warmth blooms into his chest in small surges, gold pooling in his stomach and into his hands. 

soon the ringing in his ears stops, and he stares at his lover with drooping eyes. 

"hey, hey, sweets? you aren't hurt, everything's okay. i'm here," he calls to him, across what feels like a plane of millions of miles. it feels like an echo.

simpbur makes sure he doesn't fall asleep, starting to remember the coat he went to fetch and pulling it over his shoulders and up his arms. 

the coat doesn't help in the same way he hopes it does; it's crisp and sends a chill down argbur's spine. it isn't alive, it doesn't carry the same warmth he needs, the warmth he _craves._

simpbur works his way into his lap again, pressing an ever-so-soft kiss on his lips; chaste and calming. he smiles softly and reaches for the bottom of argbur's hair, deftly pulling on it, remembering to bring it downward in his hands in a way argbur likes; yet it never gets brutal. 

it's all just light touches that send argbur into the stars, and soft words that make the ice casing of his heart chip away a little more. 

he closes his eyes and wraps long arms back around simpbur, drifting into an expressionless sleep. 

* * *

he wakes cold, and finds that simpbur has already got up. he can feel the growing pain in his stomach; he must obtain sustenance. 

the familiar smell of breakfast comes wafting in from the kitchen. it's not unwelcome, but he can't help but notice the slight smell of burning. 

simpbur's at the countertop, trying to pluck well-done toast out of the toaster without getting burnt. his hands are soft, pale and dainty. argbur doesn't want them getting burnt, so he strides over, taking note of the snug feeling he gets when he stands next to his boyfriend. 

he pinches the toast between two fingers, dropping it on a plate, ignoring simpbur's worried squeaks about getting hurt. "my skin is fine," he mutters, and it is. he didn't feel a thing. 

simpbur looks at him curiously before lathering the bread in jam. 

"you've got such a bad sweet tooth," argbur says, rolling his eyes and examining the already half-empty pot of jam. he wishes simpbur would save it more; he doesn't particularly enjoy going outside for more. 

he gets himself a coffee, dark, no milk and no sugar, a 'sure sign he's a sociopath!' simpbur always says. 

their banter in the morning is always lighthearted jabs, quiet kisses; and they love it. sometimes it seems like it's only them alive, when the curtains are closed and the lights dim; when he sees simpbur in a new light, literally and figuratively. he's not one for emotional speeches, but simpbur definetly is. he's all shakespearean soliloquies and heartfelt confessions. it's like he expects roses to be thrown at him at every time he boldly states his love for the other. 

and argbur loves it.

he sits down on the sofa, cradling the drink in his hands and watching simpbur scurry around the kitchen. his boyfriend catches his staring and joins him again, trying to _not_ spread crumbs everywhere while he chats to him. 

eventually the chatting turns to talk of the outside. 

"i don't like going out," argbur says, and he tries his hardest to not feel bad when he sees simpbur's eyes fade and demeanour shift. 

"i know, but i can't keep letting you out at night. it's dark, and besides, it's more dangerous." simpbur responds, and argbur wants to cry at how sweet he's being. he _cares_ , and that makes him feel worse for neglecting something as simple as going outside.

simpbur sighs and puts his empty plate on the table, wringing his hands and giving argbur a small hug before slipping off the couch and getting ready to leave. 

"when will you be back?" argbur asks, voice quiet. he already feels cold, and he hates the suffocating feel of a barrier making the gap between them even wider. 

simpbur looks up from his shoelaces and smiles at him before going back to tying them. "i won't be long, i just want to get some exercise, sweets." 

argbur softens at the petname and latches onto his partner in a small hug. simpbur's taken aback at first, but then moves into the embrace, then separating from him, blowing a kiss his way and opening the door. argbur turns back to the kitchen. 

the toaster is still warm, something he needs now simpbur is gone. he knows he'll come back, but he knows how simpbur gets sidetracked. without thinking, he grabs the toaster and holds it. it blisters his skin, and the heat is nothing like what he feels by his partner. he drops it and examines his hands; sore and red. he should probably run them under water, but water is cold, and he doesn't need or want any more of that. 

so for now, he savours the stinging pain.

it feels like an eternity that simpbur is gone; maybe going outside _would_ be preferable to sitting alone. he misses him. 

he realises that if he cleans his hands and wraps them in bandages, simpbur will notice. he'll treat him nice. 

one hand is burnt more than the other; it's swelling slightly, and there's ugly red welts on the top of his plam. he swaddles his hands in cloth, leaving his fingers sticking out, and moves on to rinse the second hand.

* * *

after what seems like aeons, he hears the door open, and shuffling from the doorway. 

"i'm home!" he hears, and he gets up to rush to the door; hissing as he put weight on his burnt hands. "hey, sweets!" simpbur giggles as argbur rushes towards him, pulling him into a tight hug until simpbur tapped his shoulder. 

"you're strangling me." 

argbur closes his eyes and stepped back, silently apologising, although he knows simpbur gets it. he understands him so well.

simpbur looks at his bandaged hand for a moment. "you okay, sweets?" he says, lifting the hand for him and stroking it absentmindedly. argbur hums contently. "burnt." 

his lover shrieks and almost squeezes the hand, but stops when he notices argbur wince. "i leave you for a minute and this is what you do? sweets, 'ya gotta remember i'm not leaving you. i always come back."

argbur's eyes widen and he stares at simpbur's small smile. "i know," argbur mutters, and he envelops simpbur in another warm hug; which the other accepts. they stay like that for a while, basking in the warmth.

simpbur pulls back. "anyway!" he says, clasping his hands together, "i have a surprise for you!"he smiles, turning back to the still-open door. he picks up a small cardboard box, opening the flaps. argbur looked inside. 

"there's just a cloth." he says, and he's not wrong; there's only a dirty blanket lying at the bottom of the box. the container itself is musty and slightly broken, and it sags with some kind of weight. 

"peel it back!" the smaller responds, arms growing tired from holding the box for so long. argbur looks at him suspiciously, but he goes though with it anyway. 

he pulls back the rag, and gasps at the sight. there's 3 small bundles of fur; tiny mewling balls of fluff, their eyes barely open. he looks back at simpbur, whos gaze has fallen on the kittens. his eyes are soft, and argbur could almost feel jealous if he didn't feel the same way. 

the biggest of the kittens is still small enough to fit into argbur's hands, although maybe he's just lanky. he guides simpbur (with the box) to the living-room, and he slowly tips the box on its side to let the furry creatures out. 

"where did you find them?" argbur whispers, letting out a small breath he didn't know he had been holding. 

"side of the street," simpbur mumbles quietly, watching as one of the cats crawled out, eyes adjusting to the light.

it was a sandy-brown colour, with short fur and olive eyes. simpbur gasped. "it's so pretty!" he squealed. argbur nodded. the other two slowly came out too; a small tortoiseshell and an even tinier white kitten with bright blue eyes that looked like winter.

argbur quickly went into father-mode, making several vet appointments and amazon orders for cat equipment as simpbur slowly started to stroke them.

by the time argbur was back by the couch, the kittens were either grasping onto simpbur's wooly jumper or testing the slippery floor. 

he frowned and gently pulled the first cat off simpbur. "you aren't meant to touch them yet, darling." he mutters, prying its claws out of the jumper. 

simpbur pouts and leans in to stroke the first one instead. "i'm sure they're perfectly healthy," he grumbles, patting the tortoiseshell one's head. "besides, they came to me. i don't think they can get abandoned by their mother twice." 

something hits argbur's leg, and he looks down to notice the smallest white one clawing at his jeans. he breaks his own rules and picks it up gently. when he cups it, he feels warm; it's the soft, wonderful warmth that spreads all through him, the kind that he gets from being with this lover. tears threaten to fall, and for once, he doesn't think they'll freeze on his skin.

"awh, it likes you!" simpbur chuckles, grabbing the sandy coloured one back and petting its head. when he notices that argbur is crying, he pulls him down onto the couch again, where the tortoiseshell kitten is pawing at cushions. 

"you want to name them, then?" argbur mutters, cradling the white fluffball in his hands. 

simpbur thinks for a minute before speaking. "this one is milo," he says, holding up the sandy-one by its chest and under its small arms. "- i think it's a boy, anyway." 

they look at each other. "what about the other one?" argbur asks, carefully putting the white one on the sofa and cuddling the tortoiseshell. 

"jared." 

argbur looks at him seriously before smiling. simpbur grinned back. "you should smile more, you look really cute," he says, petting argbur's own head. he tries not to whimper at the touch. 

"okay. jared it is then." he says, stroking its soft fur. 

"and the white one?" simpbur questions, scratching said cat behind the ear. it crawled back into argbur's lap, and curled up to rest there. 

argbur stared at it for a while. "kai," he finally said, running long fingers through its white coat. simpbur giggled. "i think 'kai' is a girl." 

and then the quiet of the house broke as argbur started to laugh. 

**Author's Note:**

> how did i get here
> 
> ""i must obtain sustenance"" is probably the most argbur thing about this fic tbh  
> someone tell me if the cat's names are trash references or not :prayer:
> 
> and also givb me fluffy smut prompts that maybe i'll write if i figure out how to not make my smut cringe  
> i'm fed up of reading angst shit lol


End file.
